Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026
Application of Granger Causality Analysis of the Directed Functional Connection in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment
Published on: August 7, 2017
Head motion parameters in fMRI differ between patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease versus
Sven Haller1, Andreas U Monsch, Jonas Richiardi
1Service Neuro-diagnostique et Neuro-interventionnel, Department of Imaging and Medical Informatics, University Hospitals of Geneva, Rue Gabrielle Perret-Gentil 4, 1211, Geneva 14, Switzerland, sven.haller@hcuge.ch.
Abstract:
Motion artifacts are a well-known and frequent limitation during neuroimaging workup of cognitive decline. While head motion typically deteriorates image quality, we test the hypothesis that head motion differs systematically between healthy controls (HC), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer disease (AD) and consequently might contain diagnostic information. This prospective study was approved by the local ethics committee and includes 28 HC (age 71.0 ± 6.9 years, 18 females), 15 aMCI (age 67.7 ± 10.9 years, 9 females) and 20 AD (age 73.4 ± 6.8 years, 10 females). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 3T included a 9 min echo-planar imaging sequence with 180 repetitions. Cumulative average head rotation and translation was estimated based on standard fMRI preprocessing and compared between groups using receiver operating characteristic statistics. Global cumulative head rotation discriminated aMCI from controls [p < 0.01, area under curve (AUC) 0.74] and AD from controls (p < 0.01, AUC 0.73). The ratio of rotation z versus y discriminated AD from controls (p < 0.05, AUC 0.71) and AD from aMCI (p < 0.05, AUC of 0.75). Head motion systematically differs between aMCI/AD and controls. Since motion is not random but convoluted with diagnosis, the higher amount of motion in aMCI and AD as compared to controls might be a potential confounding factor for fMRI group comparisons. Additionally, head motion not only deteriorates image quality, yet also contains useful discriminatory information and is available for free as a "side product" of fMRI data preprocessing.
Insights
Head motion during neuroimaging differs between healthy individuals and those with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease. This motion, often seen as an artifact, contains diagnostic information and can impact fMRI study results.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Motion artifacts are a common challenge in neuroimaging for cognitive decline assessment.
- Head motion can degrade functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) quality.
- The diagnostic potential of head motion patterns in cognitive impairment remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if head motion patterns systematically differ between healthy controls (HC), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients.
- To determine if head motion contains diagnostic information for differentiating these groups.
- To assess the implications of motion differences as potential confounders in fMRI studies.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study including 28 HC, 15 aMCI, and 20 AD participants.
- Acquisition of 3T fMRI data using a 9-minute echo-planar imaging sequence.
- Estimation of cumulative average head rotation and translation from fMRI preprocessing data.
- Comparison of motion parameters between groups using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) statistics.
Main Results:
- Global head rotation significantly discriminated aMCI from HC (AUC 0.74) and AD from HC (AUC 0.73).
- The ratio of rotation in z versus y axes differentiated AD from HC (AUC 0.71) and AD from aMCI (AUC 0.75).
- Head motion differences were systematic and not random across the studied groups.
Conclusions:
- Head motion patterns exhibit significant differences between healthy individuals and those with aMCI or AD.
- These motion differences can serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers.
- Systematic motion differences may confound fMRI group comparisons, necessitating careful consideration in data analysis.
- Head motion, beyond being an artifact, offers valuable discriminatory information as a byproduct of fMRI preprocessing.
More Related Videos
06:23The 4 Mountains Test: A Short Test of Spatial Memory with High Sensitivity for the Diagnosis of Pre-dementia Alzheimer's Disease
Published on: October 13, 2016
07:03Evaluation of Hemisphere Lateralization with Bilateral Local Field Potential Recording in Secondary Motor Cortex of Mice
Published on: July 31, 2019
